France to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the British leader wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Now French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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